"By the way Rachel, his Majesty's will host a banquet in the upcoming ten days. I have asked father to get an invitation for you as a Marques guest. If the duchy approves, please come with us this time."

Simon gave Rachel a hopeful look, and Anne was overjoyed to see Rachel wearing their most recent gown design. When she looked at Rachel, she nearly made a dreamy eye.

"Well, if his Majesty permits, I will be happy to attend."

Sebastian is Rachel's favorite character on the TV series, and she grinned as she expressed her excitement. It's incredible that I entered the television show and could see the characters moving around.

Everything in this world is real. By offending the royal families of the north and south, I run the risk of dying. However, this is a chance to see the final boss. Imagine how envious my friends will be in my home world.

***

Thousands of people are praising the Duke of Astrid and his 10,000 men for winning the war against the East as they are welcomed in the streets of the southern Kratoryah empire.

The city is bustling, and everyone is preparing for the victory festival. The royal family is preparing for a victory welcome ball for the war heroes inside the palace.

All eyes were on Sebastian and his generals as they entered the ball. When Sebastian passes by and is greeted by the crown prince, the noble families bow their heads.

"My mighty brother, his Majesty is back. Thank you for making our empire proud.

"Hm, I have a duty to defend this empire."Sebastian responded calmly to Hugo.

The Crown Princess arrived to congratulate the Duke, and Sebastian received the crown princess's hands in a formal bow and acceptance.

"I offered his Majesty my sincere congratulations."

When their hands briefly touched, Ara felt a surge of electricity and blushed. She believes Sebastian also experienced this as he abruptly released her hand. Ara doesn't understand why Sebastian did that, and she feels like she has lost her place in his heart.

"Your Majesty, due to his condition, the King is unable to personally greet you. Tomorrow, you are welcome to visit the King; he would love to speak with you."

"I will see at the King's request".

Hugo asks the Crown Princess for her hand and declares, "Then I hereby open the ball." They dance elegantly as Sebastian leaves to speak with his generals.

It is unknow what Sebastian felt at that time.

"Your Majesty, take a look at all those beautiful women standing by, waiting for you to ask them to dance. Oh, it's too bad that tonight we will see a lot of broken hearts."

In an exaggerated response, Alfred, the Duke's right hand and general, scoffed and put his hand on his heart.

"Sir Alfred, unless your life is still valuable, you might want to hold off using that foul tongue of yours".

The middle line's second commander and general, Ian, is embarrassed by his comrades' comments.

Three mighty knights who serve as the Duke's generals on the battlefield are present. The generals are known to be ranked based on their strength and power.

Sir Alfred was given the position of front general, a knight who possesses a shield power. The strength of the middle general Sir Ian, who can slay hundreds of enemies with a single swing of his sword, contrasts with the intelligence and cunning of the rear general.

Depending on the state of the battle, the rear general is able to devise a change of strategy even at the last minute. The rear general is Sir William.

They are the three mighty knights known as "Generals of the North" who serve the dukes. They are well-known even among the nearby empires, and they are aware of the loyalty of the three generals to their master, the duke of Astrid.

They'll sacrifice their lives to keep the duke and the northern kingdom safe. As their ancestors received these abilities from the Goddess of Light Dragon and passed them on to succeeding generations to carry on the tradition, their loyalty to the duke of Astrid is indelible. It is a sacred oath to guard the house of Astrid and breaking it will result in death because the knight's blood is connected to the house of Astrid's duke.

"Ahem Generals, if I may say so, would you kindly behave properly in front of his majesty?". William, the rear end general look at Alfred and Ian with a serious face.

Sebastian looks at his three knights and said "Knights we are going home to the north tomorrow after my meeting with the King. I heard there was a development in our land, and I want to see it for myself".

The three generals look at each other and agree with the duke. When they were in the battle for a year, they heard from the butler of Astrid that a commercial store was opened in the north and it was a success to both nobles and commoners. What's interesting was the infamous lady of Monchy is involved in the development of their land.

Hugo invited Sebastian for a conversation in the exclusive royal balcony following the royal couple's dance. Sebastian noticed that he seemed serious and speculated that it might be related to Ara. When he first arrived in the city, Hugo surprised him by bringing up a subject that was on everyone's mind.

"Your Majesty, I'm sure you heard of the developments in your land. Lady Monchy is involved and I'm not sure what is her scheme this time. I'm afraid she's scheming something to go against the Crown Princess".

"Hm. I will leave tomorrow to check what's happening in my land. Although I heard from my butler that Lady Monchy's business is famous, and the northerners adore her I will investigate it thoroughly".

"We can't trust her your Majesty after what she did to Ara. It was your suggestion to exile her in the north as we still need's her family's support against the rise of the nobility factions".

"Hm. I will not allow her to behave indecently in my land."

"I know you will never allow someone to hurt her. Thank you, Your Majesty, my big brother."

Inside, Sebastian smirk. What goes on his mind is something Hugo can never predict.

Finally, Hugo and Sebastian exchanged farewell words after an awkward moment of silence. The fact that Ara and Sebastian were involved before Hugo confessed his love means that there will always be some awkwardness between them.

Hugo is aware of Ara's feelings to Sebastian and he's somewhat uncomfortable with this feeling. When he saw how Ara was staring at Sebastian, it felt as though his stomach was being torn apart. He grinned bitterly, not sure if he had succeeded in winning Ara's heart.

Ara searches for Sebastian after the royal ball because she wants to talk to him about why he didn't answer her letters while he was in the east. There was no response to the letters she sent multiple times.

She was upset and enraged at him. She was informed by her lady in waiting that Duke Sebastian had a meeting with the King and then hurriedly departed with his knights to the north.

She guessed that the duke had left because of the well-known reports about Lady Monchy's dealings in his kingdom.

"That bitch! Even though she is a distance away, she really knows how to steal the show. She is nothing more than a criminal without the wealth and status of her parents! I'll make sure to set her straight.".

Ara's once-warm visage became icy, and she clenched her fist in fury. Her lady in waiting is taken aback by her response because she consistently presents a vulnerable and innocent appearance.